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Stanford Intercollegiate
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Iowa State University Athletics
ISU Looks For Strong Showing At Big 12 Meet
04.23.2008 | Women's Golf
AMES, Iowa- The pot will be a little larger as the Iowa State women's golf team prepares for the 2008 Big 12 Women's Golf Championships, April 25-27 at the Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. Thanks to an outstanding season which featured four top-four finishes in nine tournaments, the Cyclones are currently in position to reach their ultimate goal of a NCAA Regional appearance.
ISU, which is currently rated 55th in the latest Golfweek rankings, has not made a NCAA postseason appearance since 1996 and the Cyclones know what is at stake in their final regular season tournament this weekend.
“The chance to play in the postseason is really exciting and our players are excited about the challenge,” ISU head women's golf coach Christie Martens said. “They know that when they are going out there to play, they want to play their best every single round because we have a chance to play in the postseason. We are really in good shape and it comes down to just finishing the season well. We've had a couple of good weeks of practice which is really going to help us.”
The NCAA selection committee changed its process of determining the regional participants from years past. No longer are teams placed in separate regions and selected by head-to-head competition within each region. All teams are now grouped in one large pool and the best of the best will be picked. The NCAA will invite a total of 63 teams to three regional tournaments with 24 receiving automatic bids as conference winners, leaving 39 at-large selections. The committee will also favor the Golfstat ranking, where ISU is rated slightly higher at No. 48.
“The magic number I think is 52,” said Lance Ringler, Golfweek's college golf expert and Iowa State graduate. “If you are ranked 52nd or better in the Golfstat rankings, you are in great shape to make regionals. The Big 12 means a lot to them (Iowa State). If they can beat Nebraska, Missouri and Texas Tech, they should almost be a lock. Beating those three teams would guarantee an over-.500 record head-to-head against all three teams.”
Karsten Creek is a relatively new course, but it has already built up a national reputation since its opening in 1994. The Tom Fazio-designed, par-72 layout features many undulating greens and fairways built around a plethora of water hazards that will test any golfer. It was the site of the 2003 NCAA Men's Golf Championships and it was voted the “Best New Course” in the nation by Golf Digest in 1994.
“The greens will be quick and we have worked a lot on our short game (wedges and putting) the last couple of weeks,” Martens said. “It is an awesome facility and it's a private course, so they don't have many members. Overall, I think the course will be in great shape and I know they are real excited about hosting the Big 12 Tournament this year.”
The Cyclones have already proven they can compete in the Big 12, as evident with their 21-14 head-to-head record vs. Big 12 teams during the season. The league is as strong as ever, with three teams ranked in the Golfweek top-25 (No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 21, Texas, No. 22 Texas A&M) and a total of nine teams ranked in the top-60. It could be anyone's tournament.
“I think that there is a lot of parity in the Big 12 this year,” Martens said. “Obviously, Oklahoma State will be the favorite to win the event with it being on its home course as well as the great spring that OSU has had. Other than that, we really have a chance to finish very high, maybe the highest we have ever finished. We have a great team and I think we are peaking at the right time.”
ISU's leader on the course is sophomore Pennapa Pulsawath. A native of Bangkok, Thailand, Pulsawath paces the squad in stroke average (75.8) and is ranked 113th nationally in the latest Golfweek individual rankings. She was named the Big 12 Golfer of the Month in March and has a team-high four top-10 finishes.
Pulsawath is joined by two other freshmen (Laurence Herman and Victoria Stefansen) to form a solid nucleus of underclassmen stars for the Cyclones. Herman, a native of Kortrijk, Belgium, is second on the team in stroke average (77.4) and already has two top-five finishes in her young career.
“Pennapa has obviously been playing really well this spring and I think Laurence and Victoria are really starting to peak as well,” Martens said. “I think Laurence has really adapted well to playing at Iowa State. She is a real independent person and a great student.”
The Cyclones also have a pair of seniors who have been staples in the lineup for four years in Karly Pinder and Kendra Hanson. The duo will each be participating in their fourth Big 12 Championships, respectively, and have a combined 214 rounds of competitive golf under their belt. A native of Exeter, Ontario, Pinder is averaging 78.6 strokes per round and she tied the school mark with a 69 at the Ron Moore Invitational earlier this season. Hanson, who hails from Forest City, Iowa, has a 79.1 stroke average and won her first career tournament in September at the Lady Badger Invitational.
“The biggest thing that we have done throughout the year is make our team compete a lot in practice,” Martens said. “I don't think you can put too much pressure on one tournament because it can scare a player. We have played against great competition all year and that really prepares us to play against anybody.”
You can follow all of the action at the Big 12 Championships via a live stats feed from golfstat.com.
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Monday, May 12
Monday, May 12
Thursday, April 25
Wednesday, April 24
